One down, 146 more to go.
June 1 marked the start of the red snapper fishing season, and anglers came from near and far to take advantage of the kickoff.
Back in April, the NOAA Fisheries announced the red snapper season for vessels with a federal for-hire reef fish permit, which is the majority of the Destin charter fleet, would be 147 days. The season, which is 19 days longer than last year, started June 1 and closes at 12:01 a.m. on Oct. 26.
On June 1 the docks were empty early, but some became populated with racks full of red snapper.
Just a bit before noon, the parade began with boats coming in with catches of red snapper.
The limit is two red snapper per person, and they must be 16 inches to keep.
Capt. Justin Destin and his crew on the Un Reel came in around 11:30 a.m. with a limit or red snapper and a few king mackerel.
For Capt. Taylor Waterfield and his group of local anglers on the Twilight, they were about two short of having the limit of red snapper.
Although Waterfield and his group were happy with the catch, Waterfield said, “there’s not as many around as I’d like to see.”
In addition to snapper, they pulled in black snapper, red grouper and more.
Atlanta anglers on the Great Escape with Capt. Jason Rogers said, “we limited out pretty quick” on the snapper. They also had lane snapper, mingo and bonito in the mix on the racks.
Capt. Steve Regan on the Relentless and his group of anglers from Atlanta came in after lunch with some big red snapper, black snapper, mingo, and more.
“We had to work for them,” Regan said. “But that’s what makes it fun.”
Georgia and Arkansas anglers on the Finest Kind with Capt. Jason Mikel filled the rack with red snapper, mingo, red grouper and a few scamp.
The Anderson family from Franklin, Tennessee said they always come fishing the first week in June for snapper season. On June 1 they were aboard the Silver Lining with Capt. Joe Quaranto, and they managed to pull in some big ones. Tucker Anderson landed a snapper in the 15-plus pound range.
Texas anglers on the Sea Fix with Capt. Chris Michelson got their red snapper, plus a few black snapper, and red grouper.
Capt. Craig “Groovy” Davis on the Hard Charger took family and friends out on opening day. They pulled in a rack full of red snapper, along with mingo and mahi mahi.
These are just a few of the catches that hit the docks on day one, with many more days to come. So, there is plenty of time to book a boat.
This article originally appeared on The Destin Log: All snapped up: Destin charter fleet kicks off red snapper season
Reporting by Tina Harbuck, The Destin Log / The Destin Log
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
